# Is cutting coupons worth the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779 "2010-01-13T12:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/21 "2010-01-13T15:35:57Z")
In the grand scheme of my monthly budget if I really want to save $5-$10 a week I’d rather find a simpler place to cut. For the time it takes me to do the whole coupon thing I rather have a bannana, milk, and granola bar for lunch on some random weekday and pass on a #5 value meal. I just saved my weekly $5 in 2 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/22 "2010-01-13T15:42:31Z")
At least two of the larger supermarket chains here use the information from your loyalty card to see what you’ve been purchasing, and then send you out a book of personalised coupons. Because of this, we used quite often have 50p off fresh vegetables, dairy products or meat. They also throw in a few wild cards, to encourage you to branch out. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t, it depends what the product is. But it was certainly worthwhile taking the coupons to the supermarket when I used to shop there more, even if it was creepy that Big Brother was noting the contents of my basket. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/23 "2010-01-13T15:45:16Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Also, it’s often still cheaper to buy a store brand product at regular price than to use a coupon for a brand name product. This. When you’re already maximizing bang for the buck, coupons are only going to help occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/24 "2010-01-13T15:52:10Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > In the grand scheme of my monthly budget if I really want to save $5-$10 a week I’d rather find a simpler place to cut. > For the time it takes me to do the whole coupon thing I rather have a bannana, milk, and granola bar for lunch on some random weekday and pass on a #5 value meal. I just saved my weekly $5 in 2 minutes. Yes, there may be easier places to save money. I don’t see why one can’t do both. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/25 "2010-01-13T16:14:53Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > When I was married and all the kids and grandkids lived at home, I could save $30 to $50 a week on a $250 grocery bill. Now that I live by myself, I still clip coupons and save about $10 a week on a $75 bill. It’s worth my 30 minutes or so a week I spend clipping coupons. The above is a combination of store and manufacturer’s coupons too. I dunno, bending over to pick up 520 every year sounds like a lotta work. Seriously, it adds up. The trick is to connect coupons to items on sale to better leverage the purchase. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/26 "2010-01-13T16:20:48Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Knowing that figure would help one figure out whether it’s worth it, depending on what their time is worth. > [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > And if I spend 5 minutes browsing the coupons to find two that sum to a dollar off for items I want, well, that means I’ve been working for $12 an hour. On Sunday, one of my days off. For someone on a tight budget, that might be worthwhile, but I don’t need it. If I’m gonna work for pay on a weekend, the dollars-per-hour needs to be a lot better than my weekday job. People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. Your time, when not spent working, is worth $0 per hour. If you are reading the paper and cut some coupons, you’re not losing money because you took the time to do so. The only instance your time would actually be worth money, would be if you took off work to do some other activity, and were not paid the time off. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/27 "2010-01-13T16:47:00Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. Your time, when not spent working, is worth $0 per hour. If you are reading the paper and cut some coupons, you’re not losing money because you took the time to do so. The only instance your time would actually be worth money, would be if you took off work to do some other activity, and were not paid the time off. Well yes and no IMO. If doing the coupon game doesnt really bother you or you do very little of it, you shouldnt expect the equivalent of a handsome hourly wage. But if it bugs the everliving bejeezus out of you or you put hours into doing it (and you dont find it fun in and of itself), how much you “make” per hour should be a consideration. My SO MAKES me take those damn tabs off the top of every aluminum can to save so the grandkids can have them to raise money for school. I know its a crock and I hesitate to calculate how little money we are “making” doing it. Its just a battle I dont feel like fighting…at least until I catch holly hell one too many times for not doing it and then I’ll do the calculation. Having said that, once in a great while I use coupons. But its gotta be “man, what a deal!” and something I am pretty darn sure I’d be highly likely to buy or already regularly buy coupon or no coupon. Where people really get screwed in IMO is that mindset that you just gotta buy it “because you SAVED money”. If you saved 10 cents, but spent a dollar to do it, that aint wise economics. And I think many folks get into that mindset, kinda like those folks who swear they make money going to casino’s. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/28 "2010-01-13T16:50:01Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. Your time, when not spent working, is worth $0 per hour. If you are reading the paper and cut some coupons, you’re not losing money because you took the time to do so. The only instance your time would actually be worth money, would be if you took off work to do some other activity, and were not paid the time off. Yeah, I think what **Joe Frickin Friday** said is a little different. He’s basically saying that cutting coupons amounts to taking a $12/hour job on Sundays, and that’s a job he’d just rather not have. Makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/29 "2010-01-13T17:10:53Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > I think this thread ought to be in In My Humble Opinion, since there isn’t really a factual answer; it boils down to personal evaluation of the worth of one’s time. Absolutely. This decision is rather personal. > [@](#): > > And if I spend 5 minutes browsing the coupons to find two that sum to a dollar off for items I want, well, that means I’ve been working for $12 an hour. On Sunday, one of my days off. For someone on a tight budget, that might be worthwhile, but I don’t need it. If I’m gonna work for pay on a weekend, the dollars-per-hour needs to be a lot better than my weekday job. I see this point of view, but it depends on your alternate use of time. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I look at coupons the same way I would look at finding dollar bills inserted in the Sunday newspaper. FREE MONEY…It’s FREE MONEY. Delivered to your door. Every week of the year (except holidays). Of course I take advantage of it. That’s how I see it. And I don’t mind a $12-an-hour job if I only have to do it for 5 minutes a week and I work in my own kitchen in my pajamas. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/30 "2010-01-13T17:34:14Z")
> [@arseNal](#): > > Yeah, I think what **Joe Frickin Friday** said is a little different. He’s basically saying that cutting coupons amounts to taking a $12/hour job on Sundays, and that’s a job he’d just rather not have. Makes sense to me. I can see that argument, but from my perspective it’s a $12/hour job I do while watching television – whenever I feel like it – for as many or few minutes as I please. I don’t know that opportunity costs are much in play. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/31 "2010-01-13T17:40:35Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > > > And if I spend 5 minutes browsing the coupons to find two that sum to a dollar off for items I want, well, that means I’ve been working for $12 an hour. On Sunday, one of my days off. For someone on a tight budget, that might be worthwhile, but I don’t need it. If I’m gonna work for pay on a weekend, the dollars-per-hour needs to be a lot better than my weekday job. > > People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. 😕 You’ll have to point out what I said that was even _partially_ untrue. > [@](#): > > If you are reading the paper and cut some coupons, you’re not losing money because you took the time to do so. I didn’t say you were losing money by clipping coupons. We’re in agreement, you’re _saving_ money if you take the time to clip coupons. But you’re _spending_ time to do it. Just as with a 9-5 job, you are sacrificing your leisure time in return for cash. If a fellow has no hobbies and his chores are all done, then his leisure time is boring and isn’t very valuable to him; in that case he may as well convert that leisure time to cash in the bank by clipping coupons. Me? I’ve got shit to do. > [@](#): > > The only instance your time would actually be worth money, would be if you took off work to do some other activity, and were not paid the time off. Or if I take time off of clipping coupons to do some other activity. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/32 "2010-01-13T17:41:56Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. Your time, when not spent working, is worth $0 per hour. If you are reading the paper and cut some coupons, you’re not losing money because you took the time to do so. The only instance your time would actually be worth money, would be if you took off work to do some other activity, and were not paid the time off. I clip coupons Sunday morning while waiting for coffee to brew or for my breakfast to cook, so I’m overlapping idle time anyhow. In any case, most of our savings come not from coupons, but from planning our menu around what’s for sale. Often the equivalent store brand is still cheaper than the name brand even after coupons. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/33 "2010-01-13T17:47:27Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > And I’m with **Athena:** coupons for items I normally buy are exceedingly rare, which means either > > A) the coupons are dictating what I buy They should dictate when you buy what you do, in a way - by making you consider if you’re going to need X within a reasonable timeframe. Take the makeup I wear, for example. Normally it’s around $12 each for foundation and powder I like. Every few weeks, though, the company has a coupon for $2-3 off, which is nice. The coupon is good for about a month. About 3/4ths of the time in that same month span the drugstores _also_ have a buy-one-get-one-free promotion on the same makeup. So instead of paying $24 for the two, you can often pay $9-10 total for both because you kept both coupons and sale cycles in mind. That’s just one example about how planning ahead a little can say you enough money for it to definitely be worth your while to clip the coupons. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/34 "2010-01-13T17:58:33Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > People always say things like this, and it’s completely untrue. Your time, when not spent working, is worth $0 per hour. No it’s not, it’s just that the value is in kind, not cash. True, I make $0/hour on a Sunday by laying on the couch, scratching my balls, and giving brain cells to the TV. But to me that’s far more valuable than saving 50 cents. Couch time is pretty much the best part of my week. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/35 "2010-01-13T18:09:15Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I heard a lecture a long time ago about why poor people are poor. The reason is that they literally don’t understand the value of a dollar. I work with someone who fits this exactly. She is literally about to live in a shelter, yet she signed up for an “identity theft protection” program, spend $8 to $9 on take-out Chinese for lunch every day plus another $3 to $4 on soda, chips and whatnot for an afternoon snack, and has every doo-dad you can think of on her cell. Her reasoning for everything is that “it’s only $X dollars”, with no grasp of the fact that every $1.99 ringtone and every other unnecessary thing she buys adds up to thousands of dollars every year. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/36 "2010-01-13T18:24:50Z")
If they’re convenient, I try to remember them, but most of the time I’ll go through the flyer and not see a single thing I want to buy. Easily 90% of my grocery purchases are meat, produce, and dairy, so unless I find the occasional coupon for cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or sour cream, the coupons aren’t helping me out. I like to cook and I like the way we eat when I cook, so I’m willing to spend more to buy what I want rather than planning around the coupons. The best way we save money on groceries is by buying meat in bulk when it’s on sale and freezing it, and designing meals around in-season and/or on-sale produce. If we ate more processed food, it would easily be worth the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/37 "2010-01-13T19:04:10Z")
This past weekend I volunteered to venture out and do our grocery shopping (I never use coupons). The wife handed me a stack of coupons. Instead of leisurely shopping for stuff I thought we needed I was now zig-zagging through the grocery store to find each item in the right size and brand to qualify for the coupon. When I got home my wife looked over the receipt. “Look! You saved $5. Don’t you feel better now?” “No. I actually only saved 73 cents.” “How is that?” “I was so stressed out shopping with those damn coupons that I bought a latte from the Starbucks drive-thru on the way home.” ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/38 "2010-01-13T19:58:04Z")
I clip them ‘just in case’, but as most of them are for processed food, or new things that are put on the shelves in selected stores, I rarely use them. Plus, you often have to buy two or more to get your dollar off. If they are for a name brand thing I buy often (Diet Coke, Lay’s Potato Chips, Folger’s Coffee), I might, but that doesn’t happen very often except during holidays; one is better off buying the store brand instead. So, if my grocery list consists of Glade air freshener, two Palmolive dish detergents, Tyson chicken bitz, and Breyer’s Ice Cream, they come in handy. (But I have little name brand loyalty and avoid processed foods.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/39 "2010-01-13T20:06:07Z")
Where are these coupons exactly? Here in Canada I have seen the occasional one in a magazine, but they’re typically for feminine products and the like. Do you have coupons in your newspapers? ETA: Of course not. I’ve read enough US newspapers. Where are they? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779/40 "2010-01-13T20:06:25Z")
The stores around here also print out coupons at the register for your next visit. This comes in real handy when you combine them with a sale. I did this with cat food last week and saved over $10. Sure, you are being tracked through your purchases, but I don’t care in the slightest who knows I buy Friskies. **Leaffan** - Down here, we get them not only in the newspapers, but sent to our houses as junk mail. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cutting-coupons-worth-the-time/524779.md?page=3)